Tong operating mechanism



May 19, 1931. A. E. MARTols TONG OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Nov. l2, 1928 3 Sheets-Shset 1 nentor FrthUrE-N0ro/'S May 19, 1931. A. E. MARTols 1,806,481

' TONG' OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 12, 1928 s sheets-sheet 2 Ewa/wey May 19, 1931. A. E. MARTols 1,806,481

TONG OPERATING MEGH'NISM Filed Nov. l2. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented May 19, 1931 PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR E. MARTOIS, F COMPTON, CALIFORNIA TONG OPERATING MECHANI-SM Application ledNovember 12, 1928.

My invention relates to means for breaking tool-joints of various tubular members used in an oil\vell or Water-Well. A very important use of the invention is in connection with oil-Wells, .and for this reason the invention will be explained in reference to its use in the oil-Well industry.

In the oil-Well industry various tubular members are used such as a drill-pipe and pump-tubing, Which are extended into the Well. Such tubular members consist of lengths of pipe which are secured together by tool-joints. The present method of breaking a tool-joint is to extend a rope from the tong around a cathead which is mounted on the rotary draw-Works of the derrick. This present method of breaking tool-joints is very unsatisfactory for the reason that a great dealof danger to the workmen and equipment is involved.

As I have mentioned, the present method calls for the use of a rope, one end of which is connected to the tong, the other end being Wrapped around the cathead Which is usually mounted on the line-shaft ofthe draW-Works.

The cathead consists of a spool-shaped member, and one used for this purpose is on the end of the draW-Works opposite from the drillers position. Owing to its location it is very difiicult for the driller to observe the actions of the cathead man in the performance ofhis duties. When the joint is tobe broken, the cathead man is required to throw or loop the rope around the cathead and to apply pressure tothe free end of the rope sufiicient for the rope to obtain a bite on the cathead. Very often the cathead man becomes tangled in the end of the rope and unless the driller stops the cathead from rotation, serious or fatal injury to the cathead man is liable to occur. Many serious disasters have occurred to cathead men.

Attempts have been made to overcome the difficulty encountered in the type of cathead just mentioned, by introducing automatic catheads Which are controlled by friction clutches or other means. VThese devices When in perfect condition, and operating Serial No. 318,716.

asintended, eliminate considerable of the danger inherent in the use of the first-mentioned type of cathead. These automatic catheads, however, have made little progress toward doing away With danger, owing to the fact that when the automatic catheads have been in use but a short time, there is a tendency for the clutches to freeze, making it impossible for the operator to release them. This failure of the automatic catheads converts them into the ordinary cathead first-mentioned above, and revives the same dangers Which are encountered in using the first type of cathead.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a joint breaker Which is placed so as to directly engage the tong, there being no intervening parts which are' placed under tension.

Another object of the invention is to provide a joint breaker which does not require any flexible connecting` members which are liable to break or to tangle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a joint breaker in which the parts are subjected to compression rather than to tension.

In using the catheads mentioned above, it is necessary for the driller to quickly stop the shaft carrying the cathead, when the joint has been broken. This is necessary in order that there be no excessive pull exerted on the rope which is connected to the cat head and to the tong, in order that this rope will not be snapped.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a joint breaker in Which a continued operation thereof after the joint is broken Will do no harm to the apparatus itself, or to other apparatus in the Well, and which will not harm or injure the workmen.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a joint breaker in which the parts are uniquely designed in order to obtain ruggedness of construction. f

It is another object of the invention to provide a joint breaker having the characteristics pointed out heretofore, which is de-- signed so that it may be placed on the rotary `table through which the drill-pipe of the well is extended.

. It is also an object `of the invention` to provide a joint breaker which may be read j ilyrenioved or replaced by the workmen.

Y It isa still further object of the invention jto provide a joint breaker adapted for location adjacent to the .tong which' is secured to the drill-pipe, and which may be operated from the draw-works or through inechanism ofl thewell by f operating niechanisnr which is not hable to breakage.

showing; the.l invention in the manner which. itffmay'beconnected. 'to the draw- Aworks vkof a derrick;4

is ank elevational viewshowing the invention, in the manner in which it'inay be; `coiniected to the derrick. Y

Y. Fig. 3 is, elevational view taken infdicated the arrow of Fig..2. l

Fig.4 is a plan view of the inventiQIl.

V y Referring tothe 'drawings in detail., the

Inumeral 11y represents the Hoor of a derrick,

at the central part of which` floor is al rotary machine-12, andatv the edge of which is a rotary draw-works 13. .Therotary machine '12; and, thel draw'v-works 13 maybe of stand- 'ard construction, and. thereforelthe parts will only be briefly referred to in. this. specification, 'it being understood that various types of this yapparatus maybe used in connection withthe invention., i Y

The rotary machine 12.7consists of arbase 115- having rollern bearings 1,6 which support al rotary table .Y 17 Therotarytable 17"y is shaft'v19, the shaft 19 being supported by unita-ry bearing structure 2O..Y Therotary table 17 carries pipeslips 22,-and extended through the rotarytable'l 1,7 is a tubular ineinber in theL forni of 'aQdrill-pipe. 23.

The drawavorks 13 includes la 'countershaft 25, a line-shaft 26, aldruin'jshaft 27, and a ack-shafjt`28. rlhje various shafts are connected together 'by chainsfand. sprockets 'l laccording to standard'practice. HThe j`acl- 'shaftl 28V carries a'sprocket`29, and extendedv around the sprocket 29` and a sprocket 30 attached to .the shaft 1i) of the Lrotary -inachine 12,` Vis a sprocket chain :312. 7`When the Vjack-shaft 28 is set' iii-rotation, thesprocket vchain 31j is drivenwlth the result that the rotarytable 17. is caused to' rotate. The

linevshaft 26 off the drawfworlks 13 carries a sprocket` garoundM which a power transmitting means or chain341s extended. .The

'Y chain 34` is utilized; fordrivingthe .joint breaker of niy inventi0n, which will; 110W be described.

v'llhejjpintjbreakerihasa frame protoug and. `cannot rotate. i .An upperl t The france Sillas ahorizontal bearing V Vwlii'ch journals a horizontal shaft 46. Secured to the ouier endvof thaghorizontal vehafttb is a sprocket 47 aroundwhl-'ch the sprocket chainy 34. is.4 extended, When the sprocket jisV drivempthechain 34V rotates Vthe sprocket47 and the 'shaft 46; l'll-lie Vend The lower portion of 3.-:

lill

ofthe shaft46, adj aeent Ato the drill-pipe 2B is provided. withz a worlni 35.0,.y

The.frame37 has a toplvertical bearing V5l andl a rlovfr verticalbearing 52.' The top bearing v5.1 is supported loya-tovpY wall 53 of ,the rame, and ythe lower bearing 52 issupported' by anjinterniediate wall-V54l of the frame. Those vertical bearingsgl and 52 support a vertical shaft 55.1 The vertical vshaft .55 carries a worin/gear 56 which.' is

adapted to. mesh. with the. wcrni 50.v YZhen the shaft 46 -is rotatedA the, worm '50.7 rotates the worm. gear 5 6 andthe vertical; shaft 5 5. f The .upper end of' the' vertical shaft. .55

carries; ant engaging-means 'in theformA of an eccentric ,cain 58.

The Cllfllpipe 23,` c inentioned inY the p uGanibleof Jthisl application, is. made up oflengths of pipe -whichin the drawings are idented by the `numerals.'6 0 and .61.: driven by a pinion gear 1 8l attached to. ak

Thelengthsrof pipe 60 and 61are secured together ,by a tool-joint 62 consisting. of a igowerartjand anupperpart 64.y When 68 secured to it, .thisrope 68 being tied. to a stationary member n so. ,that the back-up thelower length; of; pipe. 6,0

ong orwrench 7,0X is applied tothe upper-part 64 ofuthe'toolfjoint 62- in 'the vvppsition,shown in the drawings,- `The ton'gf70, basa handle 7l whichfextends out ward adjacent .to the cam 458, as illustrated .best in@ 4. of, the drawings. Afterlthle parte hays/been arnangedas just: described,

it, ejoint breaker isset inta. operation.

in order to cause the joint breakeritoop- Sir-stel it iS- necessar-y tofnotate; theg sprocket 3 3. carried byv the!V line-shaft V26.. This .sprocket 334 ,may be rigidly attached, to the li nelshafuE or it may be. capable, of.k rotating thereon a clutchy 74.. may be provided Aforlocking the s prcket. 33 tolthe linefshaft,

26 whenever it is desired to operate the joint breaker. When the sprocket 33 is operated, the sprocket chain 34 causes the sprocket 47 and the shaft 46 to rotate. The worm 50 and the worm gear 56 cause the vertical shaft 55 to rotate.

When this rotation occurs the cam 58 is rotated preferably in a direction indicated by the arrow 76 of Fig. 4. The external or peripheral surface 77 which engages the handle 71 of the wrench 70 presses against this handle, and as the cam turns, the handle is gradually moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 78 until the cam reaches a position indicated by dotted lines 80, and until the handle itself reaches a position indicated by dotted lines 8l. When the handle is thus swung, the entire wrench and the length of drill-pipe 61 to which the handle is attached, are rotated this angular distance. This amount of rotation is suflicient to break the joint 62 and therefore the lengths 6() and 61 may be readily separated.

It will be seen that in using my invention the lives of the workmen are not endangered, and there is no danger of the mechanism in the well being damaged due to any breakage of parts or entanglement of equipment.

The engaging-means or cam 58 exercises a pressure against the tong handle 71 and in this manner breaks the joint. It is one of the purposes of my invention to design the apparatus so that there are no interconnecting iiexible members which are placed under a tension. This feature greatly reduces any danger to the workmen or equipment since if any breakage should occur, there are no parts liable to fly around the derrick as there would be if a flexible member such as a rope or cable placed under tension were to break, as would often occur in using the cathead mechanism for breaking joints.

It is very important to the invention that the joint breaker be directly connected to the tong handle 7l.

IVith the design of joint breaker which I provide, enormous forces may be used for breaking a oint, and those oints which are dilicult to break in the ordinary joint breaking equipment are broken by the mechanism of my invention with substantially the same ease that easily broken joints are broken.

The joint breaker 35 is supported directly on the rotary machine 12, and it therefore has a solid foundation. When the joint breaker is not in use the pins may be removed and the entire joint breaker may be removed from the rotary machine and placed at the side of the derrick so that other operations in the well may be carried on Without any interference by the joint breaker. The chain 34 may be elevated out of the way on one side of the derrick.

The particular design of apparatus illustrated in the application is only one form in which my invention may be embodied.

My invention in its broadest conception consists in a joint breaker adapted to directly engage the wrench or tong or other member which is attached to the drill pipe, and through which pressure is applied for breaking a joint.

My invention also broadly resides in any construction in which the joint is broken by means of a part placed under compression rather than a part placed under tension.

It should be noted that by rotating the cani 58 by means of the worm 50 and the worm gear 56, I provide an irreversible drive means which prevents a reverse rotation of the cam 58 in case the chain 34 should be broken. I thus eliminate the accident hazard which would occur should the wrench 70 be suddenly released when under the strain incident to breaking the joint.`

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination: a pipe having a joint; means for holding one part of said pipe from rotation; a rotary machine through which said pipe extends; a wrench attached to the other part of said pipe, said wrench having a handle; a frame located adjacent to said pipe and supported by said rotary machine; a shaft carried by said frame; a cam on said shaft, said cam being arranged to directly engage said handle of said wrench and to turn same; and Worm gear means for turning said shaft and said cam.

2. In combination: a pipe having a joint; means for holding one part of said pipe from rotation; a rotary machine through which said pipe extends; a wrench attached to the otherpart of said pipe; a frame carried by said rotary machine; a vertical shaft carried by said frame; a cam on said shaft adapted to directly engage said wrench and to turn same; a worm gear on said shaft; a horizontal shaft carried by said frame; a worm on said horizontal shaft operatively engaging said worm gear; and operating means for turning said horizontal shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 6 day of Nov., 1928.

ARTHUR E. MARTOIS. 

